Vulcanizing apparatus



' Jan. 17,1928.

H. R. TILL 'VULGANIZING APPARATUS Filed May a; 1923' 2 Shets-Sneet 1 a W .uq/ u 0 7 r. 7 W, a? h m Q Q 3w 9 0 3 Q a e 0e 0 e e o @N mm MN v for vulcanization-is of considerable Patented Jan. 17, 1928.

UNITE-D STA TES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRIS RAYMOND TILL, OI CHICAGO; ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COM PANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

VULCANI -ZING arraaa'rus.

Application filed May 8,

wise might be introduced, by the pressure of the sheathed core in the various la ers. Since. in the manufacture of insu ated electrical conductors in this manner, it is desirable to make the sheathed cores in as long continuous lengths as may be practicable, a reel completely'filled and ready weight and requires a substantial support,'as well as an appreciable amount of power for handling it during its transportation into and out of the vulcanizing apparatus, as 2 well as for rotatingit therein urin vulcanization.

It is an object of this invention to improve "the apparatus for handling a carrier for vulcanizable material during the movements thereof incident to the vulcanization of the material.

Another object is to rotate a reel within a nonrotatable vulcanizing oven by means located outside of the oven.

A further object is to move a carrier into and out of an oven on a carriage which also serves to support and permit the rotation of the carrier. A still further ob'ect is to terminate motive means, moun upon the exterior of a vulcanizing oven door, in means responsive to the opening and closing of the door for engaging and disengaging, and thereby controlling the rotation of a reel containing vulcanizing material within the oven. V

In order to attain these objects there is provided in one embodiment of the invention, a'carriage or truck having a plurality of wheels for engaging a track or wa each end of the carriage being provide with suitable rollers, preferably grooved, upon which the peri heral' flan es of the reel heads are placed? The trac or way which ma extend from the point at which the rec is filled into the vulcanizing oven is ate with 1923. Serial No; 687,446.

provided with a portion which may be removed when the carriage is within theoven to permit the closure of the oven door.-

motor, preferably of the electrical type, is mounted upon the exterior of the door and is suitably connected through gearing, or otherwise, to a centrally located shaft extending throu h the door and terminating in a spider 'Wlth a pluralit of projections for engaging a correspon ing number of openings in the reel head nearer the door,

for rotating the reel on the carriage rolls.

These and other objects not specifically mentioned will be clearly apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings illustrating one embodi ment of the invention: I

Fig. 1 of the drawings is a perspective view of a reel of vulcanizable material in strand form mounted upon a carriage, read for insertion into an oven, 21 part of whic is broken away, and also showing the means for rotating the reel upon the carriage, and

Fig.2 is a sectional view, some parts being shown in elevation, of the vulcanizin oven with the loaded reel in position for vu canization.

As shown in the drawings in which like numerals designate similar parts throughout the various-views, a cylindrical oven 10 having one closed end is mounted upon a base 11 located in a recessed portion of a floor. The other end of the oven is provided with a hinged door designated generally by the numeral 12. A pair of rails 13 are supported upon suitable brackets 14 mounted upon the interior of the oven and cooperremovable rails 15 and floor rails 16 to provide a continuous track or way. This track or way may extend over the floor to the point at which the reel isloaded. A carriage rovided with a plurality of wheels 18 mtata ly mounted u on end members 21 is adapted to be prope led along the track into or out of the oven. A (plurality of roll- 10o ers 20, preferably groove also mounted upon the end members ,21 provide means for rotatably supporting flanged heads 23 of a reel 39.

Extending through the door 12 and sup- 105 ported by a suitable bearing and bushing member 25 is a shaft 26 upon the interior end of which is mounted a spider 27 having two projecting ends 28 for en glng two of a plurality of openings 29 in t e head 23 no izing into the oven,

of the reel-39. Suitably supported b a bracket 30 mounted on the exterior sur ace of the door is an arrangement for rotating the shaft 26. This arrangement may take any desired form such as shown, in which a motor 0 erates through a gear reduction device to cli'ive a gear wheel mounted on the external end of the shaft 26. Suitable means (not shown) is provided for fastening the door when'it is closed to make the joint between the end of the oven wall and the door sufficiently tight to prevent the escape of the heating medium from the oven duri the vulcanizing process. Near the closed end of the oven a conduit 35 is introduced into the oven and may beassociated witha source of steam or other suitable heating medium.

In the operation of the apparatus the reel 39 filled with vulcanizable material in strand form, such as asheathed core, is placed upon the carriage with the peripheral'flanges of the heads 23 resting in the grooved rollers 20. The loaded carriage is t then propelled along the floor rails 16, the

removable rails 15, and the rails 13 into the oven 10. The rails 15 are then removed and the door 12 is closed. Itmay be necessary in some instances either to rotate the reel 39 slightly upon the rollers 20 or to rotate thelshaft 26 so that the ends 28 will easily register with some of the openings 29 in the adjacent head 23. A valve (not shown) associated with the conduit 35 is then opened allowing steam or other suitable heating medium to flow into the interior of the oven. The motor is then operated to slowly rotate the reel 39 upon the rollers 20 by means of the shaft 26 and the ends 28 of the spider 27 in engagement with openings 29 in the head 23 of the reel 39. When the material on the reel has ,been heated for a suflicient length of time, the valve controlling the supply of steam is closed and after the ex-. piration of the. predetermined cooling period the motor is stopped. The door 12 is then opened, the removable rails 15 are replaced and the carria e containing the reel of vulcanized materia is removedfrom the oven over the track or way What is claimed is:

1. In a vulcanizin oven, 'a door t erefor, a carrier containing Ivulcanizable material, friction reducmg means engaging the periphery therefor supporting the. carrier within the oven, and means operating through an open- 1ng in the door for rotating the carrier on the friction reducing means. 2. In a vulcanizing apparatus, a vulcaniz ng oven, a door there or, a way extending a reel containing vulcanizable apparatus, 9. 171110311 material, perforated heads for the reel, a carriage traversing the'way, rollers thereon for su porting the heads, a rotatable shaft exten mg through and supported by the door, a terminal therefor adapted to engage a perforation of and head when the door is'closed, and motive means for the shaft mounted upon the exterior of the door to rotate the reel upon the carriage.

3. In a vulcanizing apparatus, a vulcanizing oven, a door therefor, a reel containing vulcanizable material, a plurality of heads for the reel, one of said heads having an opening therein, a support within the oven, a plurality of rollers thereon for engaging the peripheral edges of the heads and thereby support the reel, a driving member mounted on the door and adapted to engage the opening in the head of the reel when the door is closed, and means for driving the member for rotating the heads upon the rollers.-

4. In-a vulcanizing apparatus, a vulcanizing oven, a reel for containing vulcanizable material instrand form, heads for'the reel having circumferential peripheral portions, a support within said oven, a plurality of rollers therein' for supporting the heads of the reel, a shaft extending into the oven while the door is inclosed position, a spider carried thereby and having a plurality of projections engaging a like number of a greater number of openings in one of the eads for rotating the heads upon the rollers, and means mounted on the exterior of the door forrotating the shaft.

5. In a vulcanizing apparatus, a vulcanizing oven, at door therefor, a reel containing.

vulcanizable material, a head therefor having a plurality of a rtures, reel driving means mounted on t e door comprising a driving shaft extending into the oven, a laterally extending member secured to said shaft, and an element integral with said member cooperating withthe apertures in a head of said reel for forming a driving connection therefor.

6. In a vulcanizing a paratus, a'vulc'anizin oven, a door there or, a reel containin vu canizable material and having a head provided with a metrically opposite apertures, a driving member designed toengage oppositely disposed apertures in said reel head, reel driving means secured to the door and having a shaft extending therethrough, and a member secured to the shaft and providedwith means for engaging oppositely disposed apertures in the reel head to rotate the reel.

In witnem whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 28th da of April, A. D., 1923.

HARRIS AYMOND TILL.

plurality of groups of diav 

